The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-01-14
Lemon Street,
PaIatka, Florida.

Ouuuu1Q1 OUOONO
Sensations OF . Man Who Gets into
the Embrace Of . Devil Fish.
"We were lying about half a mile on
the beach at the Barbados, overhauling
the standing rigging" said James Gillis,
able seaman, when the mate ordered
John Webb, an apprentice boy, and my
cred and brought around to the port side,
that some painting might be done Just
abaft the mainmast. 1t was q terribly
hot day, with the water very warm and
the men having little energy. The paint
was lowered down to MS. and while used
the brush the boy held the yawl in posi-
ton. We had been at work for about a
quarter Of an hour, when the boy sud-
denly yelled out in alright, and a. l
turned TO him he declared that he had
seen a notwithstanding object pass under
the boat, and 50 on under the ship. There
are plenty of strange creatures floating
about in those waters, and patch Of sea-
weed will sometimes assume a queer
at the same time / saw how pale and
frightened he lOs ked.
What's wanted below there ? called
the mate as he leaned over the rail, hav-
ing heard Webbs cry Of alarm.
coll saw something go under the
boat sir
"Oh. you did. Well, if you bawl out
again you'll feel something go under
your jacket"
II began work again. and had been at
it only three or four minutes when the
yawl heaved away from the ship two or
three feet, and at the same instant the
tnx o<A h0A
reached my ears when some
thing flashed before my eyes, &C netting
caught my arm and pulled it down and
pinned it fast to my body, and in five
more / knew what had hap
pened. A devil fish had flung one of his
arms about me. Webb was screaming
at the top of his voice, and, as 1 got q
look at him, l Jaw that two of the beasts
feelers were clutching him. The arm or
feeler which had reached me pinned my
arm to my side as il in q vice, making q
clean wrap around my body, and the ex-
treme end of the feeler creDt up along
my neck and face. Talk of pain; I never
felt anything like it. The teeth of bull
dog couldn't have hurt worse. 1t was
biting, blisterinR sensation. as
If a live coal had been laid on the flesh.
! added my yells to those Of Webb. but
before any one came to the rail / was
jerked to my kne es in the boat and saw
that the creatures object was to pull me
/ heard tho boy go down
and thrash about and then three of the
men came to our assistance.
The devil fish had outwitted himself.
He had gone under the ship and fasten-
ed to her bottom or keel, and a. soon Ms
he began pulling on us he, of coursr.
pulled the yawl close against the ships
T6aV oil Ht,n h.
not pull us overheard, although think
he would have upset the yawl, for we
were both down on her starboard side,
and she was almost on her beam ends
when the men jumped down. They be-
gan to cut and slash, and hack with
their knives, and after two or three min
utes they had us free-nOI of the arms,
but OF the creature. We were hoisted
on board bowling aid groaniDg. With the
feelers still biting, and they had to be
cut from us almost by inches. Webb
got it far worse than did, "a he wore a
thin cotton shirt and was barefooted. He
was bitten on the foot, both hands and
across the breast, and it was q long two
weeks before he was on deck again, his
face swelled up until one eye was closed
and the poison made me i'll for many
days. Wherever one of the cups or
suckers took hold the skin was entirely
taken off, and it seemed as if pins had
been stuck into the raw flesh. A native
doctor brought me some herbs with
which to make poultice, and, though
that relieved the pain aud helped me to
get around again, it was months before
my face was entirely well.
The devil feb minded the loss of his
three arms for only half an hour, at
the end Of which ne clutched the empty
be at, half capsized her and swan twice
around the ship as a defiance to the
crew. Two or three musket balls were
fred into him, and he sank out of sight
20 be seem no more during our stay
n. Y. SIM.
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